Amadou Samba BA’s vast business empire has been attributed to his closeness to Gambia’s ruling class, especially the country’s presidency, now held by Yahya Jammeh. It is alleged that the president has used Amadou Samba BA and other prominent Gambian individuals as proxies in acquiring properties and siphoning taxpayers hard earned money. In particular, it is alleged that over 50 million Gambian Dalasis have been siphoned from the Gambia Social Security Fund and Housing Finance Corporation to finance the operations of various private Gambian companies almost considered as state corporations. Most of such companies are closely associated with Amadou Samba BA. He is both the owner and chair or holds majority shares in such companies.
Amadou Samba BA and the president are known to have a close business working relationship, forming and operating joint business ventures that are highly suspected to be funded by funds from the country’s Social Security Fund and Housing Finance Corporation unprocedurally. It is alleged that the siphoned funds were used to fund the operations of GAMCO, a local business outfit closely linked to Amadou Samba BA and which apart from buying groundnuts from local farmers, also undertakes other business activities in the country. The other project that the siphoned funds have been alleged to have been channeled into is the Amie’s Beach Hotel, renamed Ocean Bay Hotel after it abandoned by Babanding Sissoho, a Malian millionaire who used to own and operate the hotel. He abandoned the hotel after receiving reports that he was wanted by the state on unspecified allegations. It is alleged that the funds that were used in reconstructing the hotel were from the SSHFC.
Another project in which money siphoned from SSHFC is alleged to have been used is the acquisition of the Daily Observer, a local thriving daily newspaper publication. Although Amadou Samba BA is the main figure involved in the purchase, most Gambians believe that he was merely acting on behalf of President Yahya Jammeh. Another area in which it is believed that Amadou Samba BA acted on behalf of the president is in the oil industry. As Nigeria granted Gambia thousands of crude oil tones as a gift in 2004, a private account was opened at Gambia’s Central Bank. All the funds that accrued from the sale of the oil were channeled into this private account, never to be traced. It is believed that Amadou Samba BA together with another Gambian, Edrissa Jobe were responsible.
The privatization of Gambian state corporations is another area from where Amadou Samba BA and the president are suspected to be siphoning public funds. GAMTEL, Gambia’s major telecommunications company was secretly sold off to Lebanese investors without due process of the law having been followed. The Gambia Government’s Financial Transaction Act requires that any state corporation earmarked for sale has to be tendered for and only sold to the highest bidder. GAMTEL was sold without any tendering process and no stakeholders were ever informed of its sale. It is believed that Amadou Samba BA was the person responsible for negotiating with the Lebanese investors.